HKWM | Chapter 6

By the time we finished dinner, we decided to stay at the biggest and most expensive-looking inn nearby for the night. To respect personal space, we booked two rooms. Just like when I used to tuck in the younger ones at the orphanage, I intended to check on the sleeping arrangements and leave, but the child lying in the bed showed no signs of sleepiness.

“Go to sleep. We’re going house hunting tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

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Despite the quiet response, the child couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. Feeling that my presence might be making it uncomfortable, I surrounded the room with a protective spell and was about to leave when the child suddenly sat up.

“…Jin.”
“Just call me Jin. Anyway, why?”
“Are you leaving?”
“It seems like you can’t sleep because of me.”
“Not really….”

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Noah seemed to want to say something more as he stared blankly, then added reluctantly,

“…Goodnight.”

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Sensing the disappointment and sadness in his voice, I held back a laugh, pulled a chair over, and sat down by the bed.

“I’ve thought it over, and I think I should stay until you fall asleep. The door lock seemed a bit flimsy earlier.”

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Despite the obvious lie, Noah lay back down but still had trouble falling asleep. After everything that happened today, it seemed he couldn’t shake off the habits from his days as a gladiator slave overnight.

In my memories, Noah never had the luxury of a peaceful night’s sleep. Late into the night, slaves often attacked each other to inflict injuries before the matches began, so vigilance was always necessary.

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‘I didn’t want to use magic unless absolutely necessary…’

But just for today, I hoped he could rest well, so I gently tapped on the back of his hand.

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“Noah, sleep well.”
“Huh?”

The sleep magic I cast enveloped Noah, and after blinking slowly a few times, he finally breathed evenly and fell deep into sleep.

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Ensuring that Noah wouldn’t wake up, I quietly returned to my room and once again scanned the entire domain with detection magic. Unlike the rough scan I did during the day, I meticulously checked every nook and cranny, but found nothing amiss.

When the detection was complete, dawn had already broken. Even if the domain was expansive, in the Demon Realm, this task would have been finished quickly. Seeing the bright morning outside, I couldn’t help but remark,

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“The nerf is real…”

Demons face natural restrictions when visiting the Human World. Their magical powers are bound, which can only be offset in specific scenarios like collecting corrupted souls or when humans summon them through sacrificial rituals. The former is our duty and right, while the latter is akin to receiving an invitation.

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There are also tricks like making deals with humans or contracting with summoners to expand one’s influence and lessen restrictions, but currently, I belong to neither category, making the constraints quite significant.

So this is why demons struggle so hard to find contractors. I mused, focusing my senses on Noah’s room. Only his steady breathing and occasional tossing were audible, indicating he was still sleeping. Sleep magic only aids in falling asleep; after that, external conditions or one’s physical state can easily wake one up. His continued slumber meant he was really exhausted.

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“That makes sense.”

Noah had remained calm, and at times, appeared remarkably composed for a child his age, but it had been an incredibly tough day for him. Even if the immediate surge of wrath from avenging his mother and siblings had subsided, the wounds hadn’t healed yet.

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Everything still seemed surreal, or perhaps he was just burying it deep inside, but I decided not to wake him and let him rest.

Noah finally woke up well past lunchtime. I knocked lightly and entered his room, relieved to see his complexion looked much better than yesterday.

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Noah, seeing the sun high in the sky, mentioned that it was the first time he had slept so comfortably for so long.

“Sleeping deeply feels like this…”

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His murmured words carried a faint joy. Witnessing a glimpse of the harsh life this child had lived, I couldn’t help but pat his head lightly to hide my sympathy.

“Let’s have some food and go see the house.”
“Okay.”

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As I extended my hand, Noah hesitated for a moment but then timidly grasped it. I wondered if I was treating him too much like a child due to my habit of looking after younger ones, but Noah, though he was unaccustomed to it, didn’t seem to mind. Well, a child should grow up being treated like one, I rationalized.

After a simple lunch, Noah and I began looking at houses with a real estate agent.

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We checked various places, but I wasn’t particularly impressed with any, growing more indifferent as we went. Noticing Noah couldn’t take his eyes off some skewers at a street vendor, I bought him two and handed them to him, then we were about to leave when the agent hesitantly started to speak.

“Well… actually, there’s one more house that might be okay, but I’m not sure if I should show it…”
“What’s it like?”

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Instead of explaining further, the agent just moved on to show us the house. It was the largest we had seen, with spacious back and front yards that looked highly utilizable. The previous owner had even used the backyard as a training ground, which Noah could use as it was. This house appealed to me the most.

“It’s really a nice house, and I had reserved it to introduce to VIPs….”

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I immediately scrunched up my face at the whiff of deceit.

Deception and lies are inherently demonic traits, and if there’s malice involved, a demon would undoubtedly notice it. The agent’s words implied falsehood.

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Also, even without a demon’s intuition, the phrase ‘I don’t usually show this to just anyone…’ often precedes an absurd scam. This kid thinks he can fool a demon possessed by a modern human’s soul?

“Sir.”
“Yes?”
“Is your VIP list like a Death Note or something?”
“Death Note? What is that?”
“Would you understand better if I said it’s like a hit list?”

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The agent’s face darkened. He seemed desperate to salvage the situation, but it was futile.

“I’ll give you a chance to tell the truth. 3…”
“Are you saying I have to tell you within three counts?”
“2… 1…”
“Monsters! Monsters appear!”

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The agent blurted out, then somberly added,

“There’s a forest nearby, and sometimes monsters or wild beasts fleeing from monsters come down from there…”

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Monsters are creatures mutated from ordinary animals influenced by magical energy, while demonic beasts are born from residues of magical energy. Humans would find demonic beasts most threatening, followed by monsters. Any wild beast would be less dwrathous than either.

“So, the previous owner was a retired knight.”

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I should have known… I clicked my tongue, causing the agent’s face to fall further.

It wouldn’t really matter to me if a demon appeared here, but considering Noah might live here alone in the future, it was too risky.

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“This house is too dwrathous for a child.”
“That… that seems to be the case.”

At that moment, quietly eating his skewers, Noah tugged at my hand.

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“Why?”

He leaned in close so the agent couldn’t hear and whispered,

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“I like this house.”
“This one? Why?”
“…It’s spacious… and it has a training ground.”

It seemed there might be other houses with a training ground, but sensing my hesitation, Noah didn’t push further, just fidgeting with his fingers. Eventually, I gave in. Alright, by the time Noah lives alone, he’ll be capable enough to handle a monster or two.

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I looked at the agent and feigned contemplation.

“Hmm, it’s still a bit iffy. If you could lower the price a bit more, I might consider buying it….”
“Whaaat?! It’s already priced well below market value!”
“Sir, saying ‘below market value’ doesn’t really make sense. It might be cheap compared to similar-sized properties in the area, but the significant penalty of unsafe security counts against that. Who would buy such a place here, if not someone capable of surviving an unexpected monster attack?”
“But…”

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Seeing the agent’s resolve weaken, I pressed on.

“We might have plenty of other options, but this house doesn’t. How much longer would it stay vacant? Considering the maintenance and upkeep costs, wouldn’t it be better for you to sell it to us at a lower price?”

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After some thought, the agent agreed to the deal, and we managed to buy the house at an even lower price than originally quoted. I signed the contract with satisfaction.

While some repairs and furnishings were being made, Noah and I returned to the inn. Luckily, we found one that included meals, so we didn’t have to worry about dining out.

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As we ordered our dinner and waited for the food, Noah kept glancing at me and finally spoke up.

“Jin.”
“What?”
“About the house we bought. I’ll find a way to pay you back.”

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What was he talking about? As I pondered over his small, puzzled head, it dawned on me that Noah must have been worried about my finances after seeing me haggle over the house price. I replied teasingly.

“How will you pay it back?”
“Anyway I can… by doing whatever it takes.”

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His serious expression made me drop the teasing tone.

“You think I’d stretch out my hand to you because I’m desperate? I’m an Archdemon, you know.”
“Then why…”

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Demons are symbols of immense power but also of wealth. Explaining the financial situation of an Archdemon was almost embarrassingly unnecessary.

“Having a lot of money and spending it wisely are two different things.”

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Noah still seemed unconvinced. He probably thought that instead of negotiating, a demon would simply threaten or coerce more directly.

“Can’t a demon be logical? You’re being prejudiced.”

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As I tried to casually brush off the issue, the corner of the tavern suddenly became noisy. A group of mercenaries had entered and were making a ruckus.

“Ah, just when a monster jumped out, I thought I was a goner!”
“Why didn’t you just die?”
“Did you get hit on the head yesterday? Why the sudden outburst?”
“Pay your debts, you jerk!”

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It wasn’t exactly threatening to others; they were just loud among themselves. I was about to ignore them and not get involved…

“Hey, pretty ass over here, huh? You look like you could take a lot, don’t you?”

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One of the mercenaries began harassing a waitress, freezing the atmosphere. In my past life and even now, such types seemed to exist everywhere. From experience, the best approach was usually to stay out of it. Just as I turned away, Noah asked me,

“Jin. Is it normal not to intervene in situations like this?”

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Noah’s tone suggested it wasn’t particularly new to him, but it struck a chord with me. Why was I suppressing my irritation as I used to before I had the power to intervene?

Then, one of the rowdy mercenaries groped the waitress’s backside. I sighed deeply and stood up.

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“…No, it’s normal for the weak not to stand up to the strong, but it’s not normal to refrain from stepping in when you have the means. More precisely, I don’t want you to become that kind of person.”

I pulled my hood deeper over my face and strode over, removing the mercenary’s hand from the waitress.

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“Let’s stop this.”
“Who the hell are you?”
“It’s not a good look with kids around.”
“Oh, look at this cheeky bastard…!”

As the mercenary tried to stand up and shake off my hand, his confusion was evident when he couldn’t move me at all.

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“What the hell? Why won’t you let go?!”
“If you keep being noisy, I’ll call the guard.”
“What are you, insane?”

Weren’t the guards supposed to be like police here? Why was he not more worried about being detained?

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“Let go before I cut off your wrist, you insolent bastard! Do you even know who I am…?”
“It looks like you came with a kid. Want to be buried together?”

As the standoff dragged on, one of the mercenaries behind him reached for his sword sheath. I slightly unleashed my magic to press down on their shoulders, and their inability to move freely seemed to panic them as they exchanged glances.

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“Argh…!”

The one whose wrist I was holding began to choke, so I quickly retracted my magic, suppressing my irritation and whispering to the mercenary in front of me so others couldn’t hear.

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“Kid, disappearing from my sight right now might be the last of my patience with you.”

After a trembling glance at my crimson eyes, the mercenary lowered his head and scurried out of the restaurant with his companions. I watched their retreating figures and returned to our table. Noah was staring blankly at me.

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‘Ah… Did I stand out too much? Maybe I shouldn’t have intervened….’

The looks from others in the tavern weren’t much different from those directed at the mercenaries, so I pulled my hood down further. Only Noah looked more excited than before.

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As I sat there feeling a bit defeated, the waitress brought our ordered food and whispered before leaving,

“…Thank you for helping…”

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Surprised by the unexpected thanks, I looked up to find Noah still watching me.

Ah, maybe it was the right thing to do after all.

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